Photographic slide holder and ejector



May 21, 1957 w. c. cAssADY 2,792,968

PHOTOGRAPHIC SLIDE HOLDER AND EJECTOR Filed Jan. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet1.

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PHOTOGRAPHIC SLIDE HOLDER AND EJECTOR Filed Jan. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet2 73 W c cassadfy INVENTOR 2,792,968 PHOTOGRAPHIC SLIDE HOLDER ANDEJECTOR William C. Cassady, Vancouver, Wash. Application January 20,1954, Serial No. 405,125

1 Claim. (Cl. 221-276) This invention relates to a holder and ejectorprimarily adapted for use in holding a plurality-of photographic slidesin superimposed stacked relationship and by means of which the slidesmay be individually ejected from the bottom of the stack.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder and ejector whichis likewise adapted for similarly holding and ejecting other flatarticles.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a holder andejector of extremely simple construction capable of being veryeconomically manufactured and sold yet which will be extremely efficientand durable and well adapted to effectively accomplish its intendedresults.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the holder and ejector;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale,taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figurel and showing a number of slides disposed within the holder;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the holder and ejector, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, similar to Figure 4and with the ejector omitted;

Figure 7 is a'plan View of a tabbed indexing card;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 8-8 of Figure 3 andwith the slides omitted, and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the ejector element detached from theholder.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the slide holder andejector in its entirety and comprising the invention is designatedgenerally 10 and includes an elongated upright holder or magazine,designated generally 11, which is preferably formed of sheet metal ofsubstantially rectangular cross section and which includes a rear wall12, substantially parallel side walls 13 which are disposed at rightangles to the rear wall 12 and a front wall formed of correspondingsections 14 which extend inwardly from forward edges of the side walls13 and which are spaced apart a substantial distance to provide arelatively wide slot 15 therebetween which extends from top to bottom ofthe magazine or holder 11. The front wall sections 14 are likewisepreferably disposed at right angles to the side walls 13 andsubstantially parallel to the rear wall 12.

The holder and ejector 10 also includes a relatively thick base member16 which may be formed of any suitable relatively lightweight materialwhich is of a width States Patent 0 substantially corresponding to thewidth of the holder or magazine 11 as measured between the side walls13, and of a length from front to rear greater than the distance betweenthe front wall sections 14 and rear wall 12. The side walls 13 havebottom portions 13a extending to below the bottom edges of the rear wall12 and front wall sections 14 and which engage in recessed portions 17of the upper portions of the sides of the base 16 and which are securedtherein and to the base 16 by suitable fastenings 18. As seen in Figures1 and 8, the bottom edge of the rear wall 12 rests upon a transverseportion of the top surface 19 of the base 16 and is: providedintermediate of its ends with a relatively wide downwardly opening notch20. The bottom edges of the front wall sections 14 terminate above thelevel of said top base surface 19 and adjacent the level of the upperedge of the notch 20. The base 16 is provided with an arcuately recessedforward portion 21 disposed beneath the slot 15 and extending from topto bottom thereof.

A pair of substantially fiat spacing elements or plates 22 are disposedon the upper surface 19 of the base behind the rear wall 12 and beneatha cover plate 23. Suitable fastenings 24 extend through the cover plate23 and spacing elements 22 for securing said parts to the base 16. Thespacing elements 22 have adjacent ends spaced from one another to form apassageway or guideway 25 which aligns with the central portion of thenotch 20. Adjacent inner corners of the spacing elements 22 are providedwith notches 26 which open into the ends of the notch 20 and into theinner end of the guideway 25.

An ejector, designated generally 27, includes an elongated substantiallyfiat bar 28 of a width to extend slidably through the guideway 25 and ofa thickness to be slidably disposed between the upper surface 19 of thebase and the cover plate 23. The ejector bar 28 has a laterally enlargedinner or forward end forming a head 29 which is sized to slide throughthe notch 20 and the ends of which fit in the notches 26 when saidejector bar 28 is in a normal retracted position, as illustrated in fulllines of Figure 4. The bar 28 is provided with a downturned oppositerear end 30 which is normally spaced a substantial distance from theadjacent rear end 31 of the base 16. A disk or plate 32, forming a thumbor finger rest, is secured against the outer side of said downturned end'30 by a rivet or other suitable fastening 33 having a stem orprojection 34 extending from the inner side of the bar portion 30. Oneend of an expansion coiled spring 35 bears against the inner side ofsaid downturned bar portion 30 and engages around and is supported bythe stem 34. The other end of the spling 35 seats in a socket 36 whichopens outwardly of the rear end 31 of the base.

The rectangular holder or magazine 11 is of a proper cross sectionalsize to accomodate a stack of photographic slides 37, the bottommostslide of which rests on the upper base surface 19. The holder 11 may beof any height to accommodate any desired number of slides 37. only a fewof which have been illustrated in Figure 3, and different groups ofslides 37 may be separated by tabbed indexing cards 38 which arelikewise sized to fit loosely in the holder 11 and which may containthereon suitable printed or written information in reference to theindividual slides 37 of the group of which the indexing card 33 forms apart. Each indexing card 38, one of which is shown in Figures 3 and 7,includes a tab or extension 39 of reduced width relatively to the widthof the card and which projects outwardly through the slot 15, as seen inFigure 3. The individual slides 37 are of a thickness greater than thethickness: of the ejector bar 28, as illustrated in Figure 3.

Assuming that the magazine or holder 11 is partially filled or filledwith slides 37 and tabbed indexing cards 38, and that the base 16 isresting on any suitable supporting surface, thumb or finger pressureexerted against the plate 32 forwardly or toward the base 16 will causethe ejector bar 28 .to slide forwardly from itsfull linevto its dottedline position ofFi'gure 4 to cause the bottommost slide 3"," to beprojected forwardly from the bottom ofthe magazine li to its dotted'linepositionof Figure 4. Pressure on the element 32' maythen bereleased allowing the spring 35 to immediately return the ejector bar 28to its retracted full line position of Figures 3 and 4, in whichposition the head 29 is disposed externally of the holder or magazine11. The partially ejected bottom slide 37 may then be grasped betweenthe thumb and index. finger with the thumb or finger extending into therecess .21 beneath. saidbottom slide, for removing'the slide from themagazine 11 beneath the front wall'sections 14. As the bottom slide 37is thus withdrawn, the stack of slides '37 and cards 38 will dropdownwardly and so that the nextlowerrnost slide .37 will then rest uponthe upperbase surface 19. As the ejector bar 28 will have been retractedprior to the downward movement of said slides, it will not interferewith the movement thereof and as said bar is of .a thickness less thanthe slides, the next to the bottom slide will not be contacted bymovement of the ejector bar28 to and from its forward projected dottedline position of Figure 4. It will thus be apparent that a holder andejector or dispenser of extremely simple construction has been. providedinvolving a minimum number of parts which will efficiently function foraccomplishing its intended'result and which will be extremely durable.It will also. be apparent that an indexing card tab 39 may be graspedfor removing any group of slides which it is not desired to use. It willalso be apparent that each slide after use may be replaced in themagazine 11 through the top thereof for maintaining the slides in acorrect order or sequence.

Where glass covered slides are employed, greater spaces maybe providedbetween the top surface 19 of the base and the lower ends of the frontwall sections 14 to accommodate the increased thickness of such slides,not shown, and which constitutes the only change required in the holderand ejector for such use.

Obviously, the indexing cards 38 may be ejected when in a bottommostposition in the same manner as the slides 37 or may be withdrawn fromthe magazine 11 by the tab 39 without actuatingthe ejector 27.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated andmay obviously beresorted to, without departing from thespirit "or scope of the inventionas hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A holder and ejector for flat card-like elements comprising a relativelythick base having a smooth fiat top surface, an elongated uprightmagazine supported on and rising from said base, said magazine includinga rear wall, a front wall and side walls, said side walls extendingbelow the bottom edges of the front wall and rear wall and having bottomportions straddling a portion of said base and secured thereto formounting the magazine thereon, said front wall terminating above the topsurface of the base to provide a discharge opening, said rear wallhaving a bottom edge resting on the top surface of the base and providedwithan ejector bar receiving notch, said base having a'rear portiondisposed behind the rear wall of the magazine, a pair of spacer platesdisposed on the top surface of the'rear portionof the base in spacedapart relation to one another to form a passageway therebetween disposedin alignment with the notch, said notch being wider than saidpassageway, said spacer plates having notched corners opening into thepassageway and into the ends of said rear wall notch, a cover plateoverlying the spacer plates, fastenings securing the cover plate andspacer plates to one-another and to the base, said cover plate, spacerplates and'the rear wall notch combining with a part of the top surfaceof the base to form a guideway, an ejector bar slidably disposed in saidguideway and supported on said top surface for slidingmovementlongitudinally of the base, .said ejector bar including anelongated shank fitting slidably in said passageway andhaving alaterally enlarged forward end forming a head, said head being of awidth greater than the width of said passageway and sized to moveslidably through the rear wall'notch and to seat in said corner notchesof the spacer plates in a retracted position of the ejector bar, saidejector bar being displacea'ole manually from a retracted position formoving the ejector bar head forwardly through said rear wall notch andinto the magazine, spring means urging the ejector bar to a retractedposition thereof, said" magazine being adapted to contain a stack ofcard-like elements supported on the top surface of the base, and saidejector bar being of a thickness less than the thickness of theindividual card-like elements for engaging and displacing the bottommostcard-like element forwardly of the holder and partially through saiddischarge opening when the ejector bar is manually moved to a projectedposition.

References Cited in the fileof'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,614,363 Hicks Jan. 11., 1927 1,624,883 Allen Apr. 12, 1927 1,781,462.Hyman Nov. 11, 1930 2,036,921 Christmas Apr. 7, 1936 2,251,876 GibbsAug. 5, 1941 2,511,845 Gumbel June 20, 1950 2,626,197 Kollock Ian. 20,1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,4.67 GreatBritain of 1883 328,110 Italy July 26,1935

